My Big Fat Belly - 18 Weeks

How far along: 18 weeks, 4 days

Symptoms:  Frequent trips to the bathroom have become more and more prevalent.  I also recently began running again.  Not as intensely as I was, I’m slowly getting back into it, running no more than two miles with walking in those miles.  The frequent urination rears its ugly head EVERY SINGLE TIME I run.  I’ll usually have to walk after a few minutes of running because I usually always have to pee.  I guess the baby is just jumping up and down on my bladder when I’m running. 

Maternity Clothes: I’ve started wearing maternity clothes now.  I’m slowly buying them because they are certainly not cheap, but I wear a mix of maternity and non-maternity.  I can still wear a few work pants as long as I’m wearing the belly band and can still wear a lot of my pre-pregnancy shirts, but at this point, maternity is just a lot more comfortable.  This preggo ain’t never met a dress she didn’t love.  Dresses are where it’s at!!!

Weight Gain:  I was 7 1/2 pounds at week 16 and at 18 weeks, 4 days, I’m up to 10 pounds.  I asked the doc if it was too much and she said it was perfect (yes, I know I’m crazy obsessive with the weight gain coming with pregnancy…I’ve tried to stop, but it’s just hard to get used to gaining that much weight, even if it’s for pregnancy).  Something attributing to it may be the fact that the baby is apparently measuring a week ahead of schedule.  At 18 weeks, baby should be around 6-7 ounces, but it’s measuring 11 ounces.  And no, this isn’t because I’m eating too much and making my baby big, it’s because the due date was a big fat estimate at the very beginning and they’re thinking that maybe I’m actually 19 weeks instead of 18.  My due date is still the 27th for now, but if baby is still measuring big next time, they may consider changing the due date to the 20th, which is when the due date was measured to be this time.

Sleep:  Sleep is pretty good right now.  No complaints from me!

Cravings/Aversions:  Haven’t noticed any.

Baby Size:  At the beginning of week 18, Won Ton was the size of a sweet potato!  I’m not a huge fan of this picture…it’s kind of creepy to me.

Gender: Our gender ultrasound was TODAY!!!  But we’re having a gender reveal party for family and close friends on Sunday afternoon, so we’re keeping the sex to ourselves until then.  Can I just say though that seeing Won Ton on the screen again for the first time since week 8 was incredible.  Baby is SO much bigger now and has legs and arms and a nose and a mouth…all of which were visible to us!  I love it!!!  The doc went over all the major organs and limbs.  She showed us the spine which was perfectly straight (YAY) and the heart rate was 145 which she said was good and strong.  Baby was being very shy and stubborn though.  It took about 15 minutes of poking and repositioning my body to get the baby to show the sex organs.  This was mainly because right now the baby is breech and the umbilical cord was running between the legs and the tech couldn’t see behind the cord so we were trying to get the baby to move to another position so we could see better.  This was the most surreal thing I’ve ever experienced.  I saw my child’s nose and eyelids, I saw it’s internal organs and bones and watched it move.  It’s a complete miracle!  How anyone carries a child for nine months and doesn’t believe in God is beyond me.  I’ll put up the ultrasound pictures and the video (we got a video!!!) after the reveal party.

What I’m Looking Forward To:  TELLING EVERYONE!!!

Bump Pic for the Week:

For real, I didn’t take a picture at 17 weeks or at 18 weeks specifically for the blog, but we did take this picture while we were on our trip to Key West.  I think that I was about 17 weeks 5 days here.

Key West - 2nd Anniversary

Justin and I celebrated our 2nd year of marriage on July 25.  We decided when we got married to take a got married to celebrate as many anniversaries as possible by taking trips.  Our first one was our honeymoon to Hawaii, the first actual anniversary we went to New York City and this time we went to Key West, Florida.  This time, however, we didn’t go just us, we actually went with 3 other couples.  We were joined by our friends Shelly and Sam, Carina and Justin and Derek and Crissy.  Interesting side note, Justin and I have never really hung out with Derek and Crissy before because they’re really Sam and Shelly’s friends, but come to find out, they live about three houses down from us in our new neighborhood.  Funny!!  We had a blast for sure.  I’m sure everyone else probably had a little more fun than me since I literally couldn’t do ANYTHING.  I got turned down for parasailing, jet ski rental, kayaking, and renting a scooter all because I was pregnant.  No one wanted to risk a preggo doing any kind of sports.  So laying on the beach was about all I did the whole time, but that was definitely enjoyable.  Here’s a few pictures:

We rented a boat for half a day but that didn’t turn out the way we thought it would because….

Derek was driving the boat and drove over a very shallow area with seaweed and sand and we got stuck for a while.  The boys had to get out of the boat to push it out of the shallow spot.  It was quite hilarious though!
 
Naturally, I wanted to go by Ernest Hemingway’s house in Key West.  Though we never saw the popular six toed cat.

All the girls after eating dinner at a pretty popular place called nine one five.  It was SOOOO good!!

Me and my bay

We all went on a sunset cruise, another thing that didn’t exactly turn out the way we thought it would.  Mainly because when we got out into the water, it started pouring. 

Love him :)

Pregnancy Faux Pas

I saw this on an email I got today and had to share because they are SO TRUE!!!

FAUX PAS #1: “LET ME TOUCH YOUR BELLY!”
We’re all guilty of the belly rub… it’s hard to resist. But hold back unless you ask the mom first. Not only is it scary and weird for her when someone, whether it’s a stranger or even a relative, touches her bump, but a woman’s belly is private and she may not want you reaching for it.

FAUX PAS #2: “I WAS IN LABOR FOR 36 HOURS AND I TORE LIKE YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE!”
Imagine hearing your own mother-in-law describing in detail how she gave birth to your husband. Are you squirming yet? It’s only natural to want to share your own personal experiences and think that it may offer some helpful advice. But just because you were in labor for 36 hours doesn’t mean she wants to hear all the gory details. You’ll only scare her (and the baby) with your stories.

FAUX PAS #3: “WOW, YOU’RE HUGE! ARE YOU HAVING TWINS?”
First of all, pregnant or not, no one ever likes to be reminded of their weight gain. Whether you genuinely are wondering if she’s having twins or it’s your way of saying she’s going to have a big healthy baby, keep any comments related to weight gain to yourself. After all, we all know this could sound like an evil way of saying “Wow, you’re one big heifer.”

FAUX PAS #4:  “OHHH, I KNEW A (INSERT NAME).  HE WAS THE BIGGEST GEEK IN HIGH SCHOOL.”
Ouch. Whether it’s a high school geek or horrid ex-boyfriend, we can’t help but connect a name to someone in our past.  But it’s best to keep your opinions to yourself, or better yet, not even ask what they’re planning on naming the baby.  “This is a seemingly harmless question and is one of the most hotly debated topics for parents-to-be,” says Carley Roney, our editor in chief. “Naming a child is one of the most personal things for parents and it’s hard enough to decide on a name without a committee chiming in. Plus, parents may want to keep the name a secret in case someone ‘steals’ the name.”

FAUX PAS #5: “COME ON, ONE DRINK WON’T HURT.”
No one likes a pusher. If your friend who normally drinks more than her share of Sauvignon switches to sparkling water, take it as a sign and don’t order a round of martinis. Your “in the baby zone” friend will become tired of saying that she’s “not feeling well” and be less apt to come out next time.

I would say I relate to number 5 the most, not necessarily because of drinking, but just having people not really understand why you don’t do things you used to do (although I’ve had my fair share of number 2 happening to me).  I barely drank before pregnancy so that is obviously not an issue with me.  I find the most judgment coming from why I go to bed early, why I don’t want to go out for long periods of time, why being around smoke bothers me, etc.  Especially for women that have been pregnant before…just because you didn’t experience it in your pregnancy doesn’t mean I’m over exaggerating the amount of sleep I need or that I’m being “uptight”.  I don’t want to go to a bar when I’m pregnant, even if I’m not drinking.  PERIOD.  I don’t want to be around smoke, even if the person smoking is not right next to me. PERIOD.  I don’t care if you were able to rock out till midnight when you were pregnant, my bed time is usually between 10-11pm and it will remain that way, if not earlier.  PERIOD.  But even for the friends that aren’t pregnant and never have been, please be understanding of us fatties.  Priorities change when you are the person that is 100% responsible for the safety of your unborn child.  You all of a sudden become so protective and not willing to risk anything that even has a remote possibility of hurting your baby.  This doesn’t make me a bad person or an uptight person.  It makes me a mom.

#76 - CHECK

Number 76 on my list of 101 things to do in 1,001 days was to go to my high school reunion.  Saturday night was my 10 year high school reunion and it was at Vulcan Park.  Justin and I went up there around 8:45.  It started at 8 and we were late because there was a wedding at our church and Justin usually gets asked to clean the church after the wedding for $150-$200.  It was easy money so I told him to clean it and we would just be late.  We met my amazing bff’s there, Lindsey and Lauren.  Lindsey, Lauren and I were pretty much inseparable in high school and even middle school.  We’ve been best friends for 17 years now.  WOW.  17 years.  That’s almost two decades!! 

We had so much fun!  There was a DJ and he played a mix of song from now and songs from 2001.  Some favs of mine included The Thong Song, Back that A$$ Up, and various NSYNC songs.  Such a blast from the past.  We got there a little late and unfortunately had to leave early (by early I mean 11:30pm-which is SO not early for this preggo).  Justin was going out of town the next day and had to be at the airport at 5am so he already wasn’t going to get much sleep and I didn’t feel the need to torture him.  There was a slideshow going the entire time of pictures from back in the day and also pictures from now-a-days.  I was blown away because there was several pictures of me that I did not submit and neither did the twins.  Come to find out, the planners of the reunion kept the slideshow that was at our senior breakfast the day of our graduation and they came from that.  So that was a ton of fun!  I literally just stared at the slideshow for the longest time just looking at old pictures.  I also didn’t take many pics at the reunion, a whopping two.  I was having too much fun talking with everyone we went to high school with and wasn’t very focused on snapping pics. 

My loves :)  And yes, I am aware that the ta-ta’s are falling out of the dress.  I can’t help it.  Apparently it comes with pregnancy, or at least mine.

And of course my main love, my baby daddy. 

My Big Fat Belly - 16 Weeks

How far along: 16 weeks, 6 days

Symptoms: I’m a pretty happy girl these days :)  No major symptoms other than the increasing large fatness I see when I look down.

Maternity Clothes: I think I will definitely make it to week 18 but probably not after that.  I had to buy a maternity dress for my high school reunion this weekend, not really because I had to, but more because I wanted to.  I have a lot of pretty dresses that are flowy and fit right now, but I wanted something new for the reunion so I just went ahead and got one from A Pea in a Pod.  Most overpriced store I’ve ever seen by the way.

Weight Gain: Up to 7 1/2 pounds.  Doc said my weight gain was great (we had our 16 week appointment Friday, July 15th), so that made me feel good.  I’m so nervous that I’m gaining too much too fast but she says I’m doing it very gradually and exactly how I should be.  And if you think about it, I’m only a few weeks away from being halfway through the pregnancy and have still gained less than 10 pounds when I’m supposed to gain 25-30.  I hear most of the weight comes on during the 2nd trimester because during the 1st, the baby just isn’t big enough to gain weight and by the 3rd trimester, you’re all baby and there’s not enough room to eat large meals and you get full much quicker.  Hopefully this is the case!

Sleep: I’m estimating that by week 20 I’ll have to buy the maternity sleeping pillow thingy (not real sure what it’s called).  It’s so comfortable to have pillows when I have to sleep on my side and by the time the tummy gets bigger, I’m fairly certain it will be more of a necessity than something I just consider comfortable.

Cravings/Aversions:  I have noticed something this week.  I wouldn’t consider it an “aversion” but it’s very unlike me.  Pre-pregnancy, I LOVED ice cream.  LOVED LOVED LOVED.  However, now, I don’t want it all the time.  I still have it every now and again so that’s why I don’t consider it an “aversion”, but it is seriously very strange that I never really want ice cream anymore.

Baby Size: At the beginning of week 16, Won Ton was the size of an avocado.  Limbs keep growing and now the neck is strong enough for the head to be upright instead of having his/her chin tucked into their chest.  This week starts when some moms begin feeling movements.  In my mind, there are two different types of movement.  One is the undeniable kicks to the side that you never think is anything other than your child kicking you or giving you a massive high five.  The other is little “flutters” that you get when the baby moves from side to side but isn’t really kicking.  I feel the flutters.  And they’re rare.  It usually happens at night when I’m laying in bed and can feel it better because I’m sitting still.  From what I understand, right now the baby’s legs and arms aren’t long enough to touch the outside of the uterine wall and that’s why I can’t feel undeniable kicks yet.  Over the next few weeks as the baby’s legs and arms get longer, I will start to feel them.  Most moms (according to baby websites) feel movement anywhere from 16-21 weeks. 

Gender: Less than two weeks people!!!  Our appointment is Friday, July 29th and our gender reveal party is July 31st.  CANNOT WAIT!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Ummm…see above.

Bump Pic for the Week:

Not my favorite pic at all, but it’ll do.  This was taken at 16 weeks, 5 days.  As much as I love the flowy dresses and shirts, some of them (like the one above) actually make me look bigger than I am and it kind of bugs me.  That’s why when I’m 18 weeks, I’ll probably go on a cute maternity clothes shopping spree :) 

My Crazy Love Challenge

So in our Sunday School class, we are reading the book “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan.  This week we had to read chapter 4 and let me just tell you, chapter 4 hit me hard.  After reading it, I immediately came up with a challenge for myself. 

Chapter 4 is about lukewarm Christians.  Francis gave numerous examples of what a lukewarm Christian does and they way a lukewarm Christian thinks.  If you read all of these examples of the profile of the lukewarm and you honestly think you are not guilty of any of it, you should pray about it and see what God thinks.  Because honestly, I don’t believe that any of us can escape each of these tests with flying colors and never second guess our own intentions.  So my challenge for myself is to work on each of these definitions of a lukewarm Christian to make sure that I am consciously trying to be the person God intended me to be.  Here’s Francis Chan’s definitions of a lukewarm profile (note that these are direct sayings from his book, I have not edited them at all):

• Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly.  It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go.
• Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church…as long as impinge on their standard of living.  If they have a little extra and it’s easy and safe to give, they do so.  After all, God loves a cheerful giver right?
• Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict.  They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.
• Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin.  They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them.  Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one.
• Lukewarm people are moved by stories of people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.  They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones.  Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers.
• Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends.  They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.
• Lukewarm people gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world.  They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as they guy down the street.
• Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, Indeed a part of their lives.  But only a part.  They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.
• Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their hearts, soul and strength.  They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for the pastors and missionaries and radicals.
• Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.  Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends,  and other people they know and connect with.  There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable.  Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached.
• Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.
• Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven.  Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation.  Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come.  Regarding this, C.S. Lewis writes, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.  It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”
• Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor.  They are quick to point out, “Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is.”  Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel “called” to minister to the rich; very few feel “called” to minister to the poor.
• Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty.  They want to do the bare minimum, to be “good enough” without it requiring too much of them.
• Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control.  This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God.
• Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America.  Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label “Christian” or because some people persist in calling us a “Christian nation”.
• Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.  They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens-they have their savings account.  They don’t need God to help them-they have their retirement plan in place.  They don’t depend on God on a daily basis-their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are good in health.  The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different i f they suddenly stopped believing in God.
• Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than the average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever.  They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong.

Seems like a lot doesn’t it?  Did any of it apply to you?  Chances are, it did.  I challenge you, my incredibly awesome readers, to pick the one that you slack the most on, the one category in which you are truly lukewarm and pray about it.  Fix it.  Talk to God about it.  Pray that He presents you with the opportunity to be more than lukewarm.

Cooper Francis Cowley

Cooper is finally here!!  I guess I shouldn’t say “finally”.  Jen’s due date wasn’t until July 20th.  But she’s been 3cm dilated and 80% effaced for over a week now so we were sure he was going to come early.  When I woke up this morning at 6:30am, I had 7 missed calls and several texts.  As soon as I saw my phone, I knew she’d gone into labor, I didn’t even have to look at who the calls were from.  Apparently everyone in our family goes into labor in the middle of the night. 

As soon as I woke up I called Jeff (by the way, for those of you that don’t know, Jennifer is my sister and Jeff is her husband, they live in Tampa, FL and this is their first child) and he said she was actually taking a break from pushing.  So at 6:30 she was pushing already.  When I hadn’t heard a peep from anyone at 10:30am, I started getting very nervous.  Come to find out, she labored and pushed for FIVE HOURS but Cooper just wasn’t wanting to come out.  His head was crooked in the canal and they couldn’t get him out after five hours of trying so they did a c-section and he arrived at 11:36am EST. 

Can I just say…PROPS to my sister for laboring for five long hours (in which the epidural was not always working) and then having to have a c-section.  She’s my hero.  Cooper was 7 pounds, 15 ounces and 19 inches long when he was born.  As you can see, he was born with a head FULL of black hair too :) 

God has been so awesome to our family guys.  For real.  With Jennifer getting pregnant and having a healthy baby boy and my sister-in-law (also named Jennifer) pregnant with twin girls right now and due in September and my own little Won Ton due in December…the Lord is truly smiling upon our family and we are so grateful for his blessings.  Please keep Jen in your prayers as she recovers from the surgery and also pray that her and Jeff remain patient with Cooper and with each other in this new transition into parenthood.  We all know that newborns can be frustrating when they wake up 12 times a night and you can’t figure out why they’re crying.  So just pray that they remain patient and always know how truly blessed they are. 

I LOVE MY NEPHEW!!!

#9 and #101 - CHECK!

I finally get to mark some more items off this list!!!  YAY!!  So, number 101 on my list of 101 things to do in 1,001 days was to take Anderson to the Georgia Aquarium.  My mom and I took both kids to the aquarium July 4th weekend.  I had that Friday off work so I spent the night with my mom Thursday night and we all left relatively early Saturday morning.  Here’s a few pics:

How you entertain kids on a two and a half hour road trip!

They were in such awe all day!

     

  

And number 9 on my list was to get promoted to supervisor at work.  I found out at the beginning of June but promotions weren’t announced until the beginning of July so I was waiting until they announced it at a firm meeting to mark it off the list.  Unfortunately, no picture goes with that one, sorry :)

My Big Fat Belly - 15 Weeks

I’m starting to put a pattern together. Even though my weeks start on a Tuesday, I usually don’t post until Saturday or Sunday because that’s usually when Justin takes a picture. So when I write these posts, it’s usually whatever the weeks is plus 5 days.

How far along: 15 weeks, 5 days

Symptoms: Big fat check on the frequent urination. Like I said last week, pretty much anytime I stand up or walk, I feel like I have to pee. I don’t know if it’s because of the position of the baby on my bladder or what, but it’s quite annoying.

Maternity Clothes: Still rocking the belly band with stretchy dresses and skirts for now. Maybe I’ll be able to make it to 18 weeks without having to buy them after all!!

Weight Gain: Only gained half a pound this week. So the total is up to 6 1/2 pounds so far, which sounds odd when you see my belly pic this week. Belly has been growing insanely!

Sleep: I’ve gotten to where I can’t really sleep on my back anymore, at least not comfortably. The doctor told me that eventually the position of the uterus would make me feel like I can’t breathe if I’m laying flat, which it’s starting to do. Most of the time I start out sleeping on my back, but have to roll over onto my side in the middle of the night.

Cravings/Aversions: No crazy ones this week to note.

Baby Size: At the beginning of week 15, Won Ton was the size of an orange. A friggin orange people!!! That explains the belly size! Baby moves a lot these days because all four limbs are now completely functional. Though unfortunately, I can’t really feel the movements yet.

Gender: Only 3 weeks till we’ll know for sure!!

What I’m Looking Forward To: 16 week appointment on July 15th, even though I’ll be 16 1/2 weeks by then. Also looking forward to our gender reveal party on July 31st!!

Bump Pic for the Week:

Bump pic taken at Melanie and Wade’s wedding that was this weekend on her family’s farm in Blount County. 15 weeks, 5 days:

And let me just tell you, I was fitted for this dress before we knew we were pregnant….and it was SOOOOOOOOOOO tight the night of the wedding. I’m normally about a size 6 (depending on where I get my clothes, sometimes I’m an 8) but when I was fitted, I was fitted for a 6. At the time, we weren’t pregnant, but trying so I suggested to the fitters that I get a size larger, so I got an 8. I seriously could barely breathe in it. When I put it on at the bridesmaid’s luncheon at Mel’s house it was clear that it was way too tight. There was two problems with it. 1) The lady lumps have literally jumped a cup size so the top was definitely snug. 2) The blush sash is larger than it looks and was cutting off my circulation at the very top of the bump, so it was VERY uncomfortable.

So until we went down to the barn where the wedding took place, the girls suggested I just unzip my dress, but leave the hook at the top of the zipper hooked. Well, when I was sitting on the couch, I bent over to change my shoes and the hook broke. I was so embarrassed!! It looked fine just zipped without being hooked, but it was still so embarrassing! However, deep down inside, I was still pretty pumped that at almost 16 weeks pregnant, I was able to fit into this dress, even though I couldn’t breathe!

My Big Fat Belly - 14 Weeks

How far along: 14 weeks

Symptoms: Week 14 started my first week in the second trimester. It is totally true that the second trimester feels so much better!! I’m not as tired as I was in the first trimester and not much at all makes me feel sick. I’m doing pretty good right now! The only thing I’ve noticed now is that when I’m standing up or walking around, I really have to pee every 5 seconds, but when I’m sitting down, I’m usually fine for hours. I find this strange.

Maternity Clothes: None yet!! Still using the belly band and wearing lots and lots of dresses and skirts. My goal is to make it to week 18 without having to take that first trip to Motherhood Maternity, but I doubt I’ll make it past 16. The belly grew A LOT in the last two weeks.

Weight Gain: Up to 6 pounds total, which means I gained the pound I was supposed to, plus a half a pound :) Also, on the exercise front, I’m loving swimming. Justin goes to the Y all the time to swim, but I went with him some this week and I love it.

Sleep: Same as usual…good, but interrupted frequently to pee.

Cravings/Aversions: No crazy ones this week to note.

Baby Size: At the beginning of week 14, Won Ton was the size of a lemon. The kidneys are producing urine that is being released back into the amniotic fluid, the same fluid he/she inhales. Gross. Won Ton can also squint and frown and make faces. They do this frequently which is good because he/she is exercising their facial muscles.

Gender: Counting down until we find out!! We’ll definitely know this month!!!

What I Miss: I still kind of miss my brain. My thoughts are one big jumbled mess and I can’t remember the things I tell people vs. things I think that I need to tell people but never actually do. Basically, I can’t be trusted to remember things these days.

What I’m Looking Forward To: 16 week appointment on July 15th.

Bump Pic for the Week:

Bump pic for this week taken at 14 weeks and 6 days (so basically, it’s really a 15 week picture…oh well). You can clearly tell the bump has grown. I’ve had multiple people put their hand out to touch my stomach, something that hadn’t happened before now because it just wasn’t noticeable enough. I try the best I can to cover it up with flowy dresses and bigger shirts, but I know it won’t last long. Eventually there’s gonna be no way to hide it…

Advice I Need: I don’t really have one specific question I’m looking for an answer to right now, but I would love comments from currently pregnant or previously pregnant women. Tell me anything that you wish you had done differently while pregnant, if you have any regrets like that, or anything that you didn’t know at the time but wish you would have. Basically any fun helpful advice, the kind no one tells you about because they don’t think it’s significant enough!